


Perfect

by tnh1722



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood & Catarina Loss Friendship, Caring Magnus Bane, Fluff and Happiness and Love, Happy Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, M/M, Worried Isabelle Lightwood, Worried Magnus Bane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 13:17:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16119254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tnh1722/pseuds/tnh1722
Summary: Alec goes to Cat for something very important, but he has to hide it from everyone else including his boyfriend. Magnus is concerned and caring which almost ruins Alec's plan, however, with Cat's help, everything works out perfectly in the end.





	Perfect

Magnus’ focus was broken when his phone started ringing. He put a pause on his potion making before picking up when he saw Isabelle’s name on his caller ID. “Hello Isabelle.”

“Magnus, is Alec at home?” Izzy asked, sounding slightly concerned. 

“No, he left for the Institute a few hours ago,” Magnus answered with a shake in his voice. 

Izzy sighed into the phone and Magnus could hear her heels clicking down a hallway. “That’s what I figured. He isn’t in his office and no one has seen him this morning. I wasn’t aware of him being out of the office today and he always tells us if he is running late.”

“How does...is Jace feeling anything?” Magnus questioned as his concern was growing. He was walking from his study to the bedroom to find something of Alec’s to track. 

“He said Alec isn’t in distress or in pain, but it feels like he is worried about something. It’s not that I don’t trust my big brother-”

“But he is a man in a position of power which means there is always a target on his back.” 

“Exactly,” Izzy stated as Magnus heard her open a door to another room. “He’s not in the Institute, Magnus. I’ve checked everywhere, he has no appointments, and he hasn’t answered his phone this morning. I’m not trying panic, but I am getting worried.” 

“Okay, Isabelle. I will try calling him and if he does not answer, I will track him. I promise you as soon as I know anything, I will call you back. I’m sure he is fine, darling,” Magnus offered to Izzy trying to convince himself as well. 

Izzy sighed again and agreed. “Yes, let us know if we can do anything. Just find my brother, Mags. Love you.” 

“Love you too, dear. Talk soon,” Magnus replied before ending the call. He moved to the nightstand on Alec’s side of the bed to grab his spare stele. Magnus closed his eyes and focused on Alec only to be rejected by a set of wards that were apparently surrounding his boyfriend. He took a deep breath and tried again, centering in on the wards this time rather than Alec. His eyes shot open when he registered who the wards belonged to. 

Magnus picked his phone back up and dialed the number furiously. “Come on...come on...pick up,” he mumbled prior to the line clicking on. “Catarina, darling, how are you?” 

“I’m well, but you sound stressed. Is everything okay, Magnus?” Catarina asked, overly pleasant than her typical tone. 

“I was hoping you could tell me, Cat. Would you like to explain to me why my lovely Alexander is missing and protected by your wards?” Magnus asked with a lingering anger floating through his words. 

Catarina sighed as she turned her head to look at Alec. She pointed to the phone and rolled her eyes causing Alec to chuckle quietly. “That was him! I know that laugh anywhere,” Magnus exclaimed with a huff. “Catarina, why have you taken my boyfriend hostage without letting anyone know?” 

Magnus felt her silence her phone, clearly to speak to Alec which frustrated him even more. He waited patiently for his friend to come back onto the line. “Magnus, I need you to listen to me and not jump to any conclusions.” 

“Cat, what the hell is going on?” 

“Alec is visiting me about something personal that he is not ready to discuss with anyone else. I think you, of all people, can respect privacy, dear friend,” Cat answered truthfully. 

“Can I come see him? I just need to see that he is safe. I’m getting jittery, my magic is sparking and Isabelle is absolutely panicking,” Magnus confessed, lacing his voice with worry to get the point across. 

Another set of whispers were muffled by Cat’s hand this time rather than a silence spell. “Alec agreed. I’ll open a portal in a few minutes. I need to clean up a few things.” 

Magnus exhaled loudly to express his disdain, but he agreed and waited for her portal to open. 

\---

“What am I supposed to tell him, Cat?! I told Clary to cover for me because I knew Isabelle would freak out if I was gone which would make Magnus freak out. By the angel, I am going to put Clary on ichor duty for a month,” Alec rambled as he paced Cat’s living room. 

Catarina looked at him with sympathetic eyes. “Okay, I promise you, this is the only time I will ever express that lying to Magnus is acceptable, but the last thing I want is for this surprise to be ruined. He is going to worry because of this, however, the obvious explanation for seeing me is your health. I’m a healer, you came to me with a health concern and Magnus will accept that. He may dote on you for awhile, but it will keep your secret between us.” 

“As much as I hate the idea of lying to him, I agree with you. He deserves this surprise to work perfectly, I need to go perfectly. So yes, we will tell him it’s my health, although I can already hear the worry in his voice. Raziel, he is going to try and lock me in the loft. I can see it now,” Alec responded with a chuckle at the end.

“That I agree with wholeheartedly. So before he arrives, what are we going with? What would he question the least?” Cat asked while summoning some potions and medical supplies to her coffee table. 

“I get stress headaches sometimes, usually it’s just lack of sleep. I can always say that they are just getting more frequent and more intense. I think he would definitely accept that and he knows that I try to hide the pain from him so he doesn’t try to use his magic on my discomfort. I hate when he gets tired from helping me too much. He needs to realize I'm not with him because of his magic.”

Cat smiled at him and patted the back of his hand. “I know I’m not that most expressive and outwardly kind individual, but I just want you to know that you are a good man, Alec. I am so glad that Magnus found his true love within you.” 

Alec ducked his head with a blush and sniffled a little. “Could you, uh, portal him here before I start tearing up?” he asked with a little laugh. 

“Of course, Shadowhunter. Now, time to put on your acting face,” Cat announced stepping back into her typical persona and waving a portal open. 

Magnus rushed through immediately and found himself next to Alec on the sofa who managed to fake a wince when Magnus grabbed him in his arms. “Darling, what’s the matter? Why did you come to Cat and why would you hide it from me?”

“Okay, let’s not smother him, dear friend. He is clearly uncomfortable,” Cat interjected before Alec could reply. Alec looked up at her with a thankful smile before bringing his head into his hands to hide his face from Magnus. 

“Would someone please explain to me what is happening here?” Magnus asked with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. 

Alec looked up and briefly made eye contact with Cat before moving his eyes to Magnus. He took the other man’s hands in his own while trying to look the part. “Mags, I came to see if Cat could help me. You have said in the past that she is a talented healer.” 

“Alexander, why would you need a healer? You haven’t been on patrol in weeks.”

“I, uh, I have been having those headaches recently. I think they were just stress before with all the Clave stuff I’ve been dealing with lately, but they, um, have been getting worse. More like migraines,” Alec paused as he looked into his lap. He knew in that moment he would typically be reluctant to show weakness even though he has gotten much better with sharing his feelings.

Magnus put two fingers under Alec’s chin to lift his head. “Love, you don’t have to hide your pain. It is not a weakness, remember?” 

Alec nodded with a sheepish smile, his typical reaction to Magnus’ convincing. “I know, I just didn’t want to worry you or tire you out by asking for healing every night.”

“Alexander, you have been having this pain every night and you didn’t tell me!” 

Alec winced at his words, however, Magnus interpreted it as pain. He suddenly lowered his voice into a whisper, “I’m sorry, angel, I didn’t mean to yell.” Magnus cupped Alec’s cheek and ran his thumb across his cheek bone. 

“It’s fine. I promise, it’s nothing to worry about. Cat has some potions for me to help with the headaches and she said I need to get more sleep, drink less coffee, and relax more,” Alec rattled off, all things that Magnus has drilled him about in the past. 

Magnus flicked his eyes to Cat with a grateful smile. “I couldn’t agree more. Hopefully you listen to her since you haven’t complied with my suggestions.” 

Alec took Magnus’ wrist that was still holding his face and pulled him in for a tiny, thankful kiss. “I’m sorry, baby. I promise, I’ll be fine. I’m already feeling better.” 

“Well, thank Lilith, I’m glad you admitted that you needed help. I’m proud of you,” Magnus said with a smile and another kiss. 

“Thank you,” Alec replied with a loving smile. “Do you mind telling Izzy that everything is okay? I just need to finish up with Cat about when to take the medicine.”

“Of course, darling. I’ll just be a minute,” Magnus said as he stepped out of the room to make the phone call. 

“Were you going to tell me that you needed help with headaches because I know that you aren’t that good of an actor? Magnus sounded truly concerned as if that has been an issue before.” Cat looked at him with a serious glare expecting the truth. 

Alec sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I get headaches every now and then. He’s right, I need to sleep more and stop drowning myself in coffee. I promise you, they are not everyday. That was an over-exaggeration so he would believe that I did come to you for help. I usually just use an irazte and take a nap when they get bad enough to where I can’t focus.”

“Okay, I believe you. I really can give you something for that though, if you are interested. As for everything else, do you want me to keep this here until the time comes?” Catarina asked as she motioned to the table. 

“No, I’ll take it with me. I know myself and no matter how much planning I do, it will be a quick decision so I would prefer to have it with me,” Alec replied, grabbing the item off her work table. “Also, I should probably take you up on the offer of the potions so it doesn’t look like I lied to him. They actually may come in handy, I have two Clave meetings this week.” 

“Say no more, I’ll get you a box of my headache remedy. Take them when you feel it coming on and follow it with a glass of water and maybe something small to eat so you don’t get nauseous.”

Alec took the summoned box of potions from her. “Thank you so much, Cat. Seriously, for everything.” 

“Thank you, for loving him,” Cat replied honestly. 

Before Alec could respond, Magnus walked back into the room straight for his boyfriend. “Okay, darling, let’s get you home to rest. Isabelle says she is coming over tonight to quote give you a piece of her mind, but she wants you to feel better first.”

“Mags, I can go to work now. Cat’s potion is great, I feel it getting better already.” 

“Ah, ah, what did we just talk about? Relaxation and sleep, those two words do not come with the Institute, Alexander. So, I’m taking you home and we are going to have a cozy day, okay?”

Alec smiled at Magnus’ mother-hen, serious tone. “Okay, yeah, let’s go. I wouldn’t mind having you all to myself for a whole day anyway.” 

“That’s the spirit, angel. Thank you for helping him, Catarina. I appreciate it,” Magnus said, turning towards his friend.

“Anything for you, dear friend. Your Shadowhunter has been growing on me,” Cat quipped as she winked at Alec. 

Magnus blinked slightly in surprise. “Oh dear, what have I created? This seems like a fatal friendship for my ego.” 

“Oh, I hold intention to share every possible embarrassing story I can muster for Alec. He deserves to know what kind of crazy he is getting himself into,” Cat responded bringing a loud laugh from Alec and a pout from Magnus. 

“I’m wounded, Catarina,” Magnus feigned offense with a smile on his face. 

Alec leaned over and kissed Magnus’ temple. “Don’t worry, Mags. I’ve been told that I can be boring so I could probably use a little crazy in my life.” 

Magnus rolled his eyes, but he didn’t miss Cat’s huge smile directed towards Alec. “Alright, let’s get you home, you big flirt.” He grabbed Alec’s hand to pull him through the portal he flourished open. 

\---

Magnus led Alec to their bedroom to grab some comfortable clothes for both of them to change into. Alec set his box of potions down on his bedside table and discreetly put something in his nightstand drawer behind his book. “Hey, where’s my backup stele?” 

“Oh, it’s in the study. I needed something to track you with and that was the first thing I grabbed,” Magnus replied as he tossed Alec a hoodie and pair of sweatpants. “Now, get changed and meet me on the couch. I’m going to make some tea.” 

Alec just smiled and started to take off his dress clothes. After he changed, he went into the closet to grab their favorite blanket before walking out to the living room. He realized how tired he actually was when he curled up on the couch and registered how happy he was to be spending the day with his boyfriend. 

Magnus came in and handed him a mug of tea before snapping on the TV. He sat down and curled up next to Alec. After they finished their tea, he pulled Alec’s body down until his head rested on Magnus’ lap and he could run his hands through Alec’s hair. “How are you feeling, angel?”

“So much better. I forget how much I need days like this with you sometimes,” Alec answered as he pulled Magnus’ free hand into his own to rest over his chest. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“No need to thank me, Alexander. Believe it or not, I enjoy having this time with you even if it does take some convincing to get here,” Magnus replied as he leaned down to press his lips to Alec’s forehead. “I’ll always want to take care of you, darling.” 

Alec sat up at those words and looked into Magnus’ eyes for a second as if he was making a decision. “Alexander.” 

“I’ll be right back,” Alec whispered out as he shuffled off the couch to walk to their bedroom. Magnus heard some rummaging around before Alec’s quiet footsteps were heading back to the living room. Alec sat down and took Magnus’ hands in his own. “Okay, this isn’t at all what I planned, but I knew this is how it would happen. Nothing about you in my life has ever been planned and I am so grateful for that.”

“Alexander, what is going on?” Magnus asked with a confused look. 

“Magnus, I lied to you this morning about why I was visiting Catarina. I have been getting headaches but not that bad and you always make me feel better. Never doubt that, please.”

Magnus squeezed Alec’s hand that was holding his. “Well, I’m happy that I can do that for you, darling, but why did you see Cat then? Is everything okay?”

Alec smiled and shifted to grab a small, velvet box from his sweatpants pocket. He heard Magnus’ breath hitch and looked up to see his eyes becoming watery. “Alexander,” Magnus whispered out in awe. 

“Magnus, I love you so much. It consumes my whole mind sometimes when I think about it. I went to Catarina because I needed someone to help me create the perfect ring for the man who means everything to me. Everything about you still gives me butterflies. The way you move your magic beautifully to protect those you love, the way you speak so kindly to those who come to you for support, the way you hold me, the way you care for my...our family, the way you stop at nothing to do what is right,” Alec paused to lean over and press a kiss to Magnus’ lips. 

Magnus blinked quickly a few times to hold his tears at bay and tightened his hold on Alec’s hand. He waited for Alec to continue as he felt his chest flutter with happiness. “You have changed my life, Magnus. I wasn’t really myself when we met and you have brought out the best parts of me to match the best parts of you. I wouldn’t be where I am without you, I don’t even know if I would be here at all.” 

“Alexander,” Magnus gasped at his last sentence before moving closer to Alec. He rested his forehead against Alec’s who was trying to keep his own tears at bay. 

“I love you, baby. I love you and I want to spend my life with you. I want to raise a family with you and build our lives together. I want to give you that, I need to give you that. It is what you deserve. I love you and even though I was going to plan some extravagant dinner and event with our friends and family around, I think this is much more fitting for us. So,” Alec paused as he moved off the couch to get down on his knee in front of Magnus. 

Once again, Magnus’ breath was caught in his throat and he finally let the happy tears fall from his waterline. Alec moved his hand to open the ring box, unveiling a beautiful silver band engraved with the Lightwood family flames as well as a shining, yellow diamond set in the middle. “Magnus Bane, will you marry me?” 

Magnus let out a choked breath as the tears continued to fall. “Of course, I will, Alexander,” he replied as he leaned forward to kiss Alec passionately on the lips with all the love he could muster. Alec pulled away slightly to slide the ring onto Magnus’ finger. “And Alexander, this is more than I ever could have imagined. The ring, the way you asked, you, everything is perfect.”


End file.
